1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-functional facsimile connected to a personal computer and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for receiving facsimile documents when the personal computer is incapable of receiving data.
2. Background Art
With the wide variety of electronic products that are commonly used in offices today, the use of multi-functional devices in combination with personal computers is an efficient way of controlling costs while increasing available tools and capabilities. One popular combination is a multi-functional fax machine that is connected to a portable computer. Exemplars of recent efforts in the art are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,106 to Perkins entitled Modem Device for Communication of Facsimile or File Data, U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,221 to DeVries entitled Facsimile Modem For Passing Image Informnation to a Facsimile Machine and Computer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,067 to Kang entitled Computer Connection Circuit in Facsimile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,642 to Yoshida entitled Image Data Communication Apparatus Capable of Receiving Image Data During Power Failire, U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,584 to Gordon entitled Facsimile Telecommunicationis System and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,786 to Gordon entitled Unified Messaging System and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,108 to Mankovitz entitled Information Distribution System with Self-Contained Programmable Automatic Interface Unit, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,707 to O'Malley entitled Text-To-Speech Converter of a Facsimile Graphic Image.
The multi-functional facsimile has two different receiving modes, the facsimile mode and the PC (personal computer) mode. When the multi-functional facsimile is in the facsimile mode it will print out all received facsimile documents directly. When the facsimile machine is in PC mode any data transmitted or received bypasses the facsimile machine and is handled directly by the personal computer. The PC mode runs using software that is installed in the personal computer. For the facsimile device to run correctly in PC mode the cable connecting it to the personal computer must be securely attached.
While in the PC mode of operation, when the facsimile machine detects the ring signal of an incoming call, the facsimile transmits the ring signal to the personal computer and waits for a response. Once the facsimile machine receives the appropriate response from the computer, the incoming, document data is sent to the computer. After the computer receives the document data, the conresponding facsimile document can be printed out by a printer or displayed on the computer monitor.
I have observed however, that when the cable connecting the facsimile machine to the portable computer to the personal computer is disconnected or the personal computer is turned off, the facsimile machine is unable to transmit the document data to the personal computer. This results in the document data not being received because the facsimile device is in PC mode and the computer is unable to transfer the appropriate response signal.